Barbecue grill and cooker

Abstract

A barbecue grill which cooks food at a lower and more evenly distributed temperature and which can be effectively used for a large variety of barbecuing and cooking activity, including cooking meat, fish, vegetables, bread and the like. More particularly, a barbecue grill and cooker including a housing, a hood, a source of heat, a grease deflection and collection system which collects the grease and natural juices for later use without burning them and a heat distribution system that includes a tubular enclosure, multiple distribution conduits and which isolates the source of heat from the environment within the cooking area.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A barbecue grill for cooking food, comprising: (a) a housing means having side walls and a bottom surface;   (b) a hood adapted to enclose said housing means;   (c) a heat distribution means spanning the approximate length of said housing means and positioned at or near the lengthwise center line of said housing means, and comprised of: (i) a tubular heat distribution enclosure means configured relative to one or more openings in the bottom surface of said housing means and with one or more corresponding openings on its bottom surface such that it can receive secondary combustion air from outside the housing means; and   (ii) a plurality of heat distribution conduits connected to and pointed outward from said heat distribution enclosure means on or about a horizontal plane such that the heated air from within the heat distribution enclosure means can flow through said heat distribution conduits and into the interior of said housing means;     (d) a means to supply heat to the interior of said tubular heat distribution enclosure means;   (e) a drip deflection means which prevents grease and juices from the food from dripping on the heat distribution enclosure means and from dripping on the plurality of heat distribution conduits;   (f) a removable drip collection means positioned below and relative to said drip deflection means to collect the drippings from the food; and   (g) a means to support the food within said housing means in a horizontal plane.   
     
     
       2. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 1 and which further comprises a tray containment means with four sides and a bottom surface which runs the approximate length of the housing means, which is conductively associated with the heat distribution enclosure means and which will contain water, wood chips and other items which may affect the cooking of the food. 
     
     
       3. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 2 and in which the exterior of the bottom surface of said tray containment means rests on and is supported by said heat distribution enclosure means. 
     
     
       4. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 1 and in which the means to supply heat to the interior of the heat distribution enclosure means comprises charcoal briquettes. 
     
     
       5. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 1 and in which the means to supply heat to the interior of the heat distribution enclosure means comprises a gas burner assembly. 
     
     
       6. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 1 and in which the means to supply heat to the interior of the heat distribution enclosure means comprises an electric resistance heat source. 
     
     
       7. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 1 wherein said housing means is supported by a plurality of legs. 
     
     
       8. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 1 wherein said hood is pivotally attached to said housing means such that it can be opened by lifting upward on a handle. 
     
     
       9. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 1 wherein said tubular heat distribution enclosure means is rectangular in its cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
       10. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 1 wherein said tubular heat distribution enclosure means is square in its cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
       11. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 1 wherein said tubular heat distribution enclosure means is circular in its cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
       12. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 1 wherein said tubular heat distribution enclosure means is elliptical in its cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
       13. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 1 wherein said heat distribution conduits are circular in their cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
       14. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 1 wherein said heat distribution conduits are elliptical in their cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
       15. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 1 wherein said heat distribution conduits are rectangular in their cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
       16. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 1 wherein said heat distribution conduits are square in their cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
       17. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 1 wherein said drip deflection means is comprised of: (a) planar surfaces sloping downwardly from their point of attachment around the interior perimeter of the housing means at a vertical elevation below said means to support the food and which deflects the food drippings into one or more collection trays; and   (b) a covering which overlaps the approximate top view of the heat distribution enclosure means and the heat distribution conduits and which has downwardly sloping sides such that food drippings falling on it are deflected into one or more collection trays.   
     
     
       18. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 1 wherein said grease collection means is comprised of two trays running the approximate length of the housing means, said collection trays comprised of side walls and a bottom surface. 
     
     
       19. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 18 wherein said collection trays are removable from the interior of the housing means through a port such that neither removal nor insertion disturb the cooking process. 
     
     
       20. A barbecue grill as recited in claim 1 wherein the means to support the food within said housing means is vertically positioned below the upper edge of the housing means.